I have decided to no longer have a specific blog for vegan stuff. It's just another part of my life so I am including it in my regular blog with everything else.
If you are interested the blog is here.
Sunday, 10 August 2008
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
various thoughts
It's almost 3 months now (will be on the 5th) and I have to say that it has honestly been one of the easiest things I've ever done. If I think about or dwell on it I want to kick myself for not doing this earlier but for whatever reason, none of which I am proud of, I wasn't ready. And I've seriously never felt better physically, and considering I have barely exercised for nearly 3 weeks now (will be remedying that immediately!!), probably being the longest I've gone without exercising for a good couple of years at least, then I am personally completely amazed about how peppy and full of energy I am feeling.
I discovered an interesting site this morning, via facebook actually. It's great having "friended" many of the vegan freaks as it can help lead me to more interesting information and I'm definitely still in the "devouring all the information I can get my hands on" stage at present. I definitely want to do more eventually in terms of fighting for animal rights, but just don't feel worthy yet as I feel there is still so much to learn. What I didn't realise when I first decided to go vegan, was that going vegan is really only the first step and there is so much more to do. Anyway, the site is here and I am quite keen to check out the place in real life when we move to Melbourne and volunteer there and all.
I know it's only been (not quite) 3 months, but I honestly can't imagine life any other way. I really do feel like I'm finally doing what I always should have done. Having decided to stop calling myself a vegetarian a while back even though I didn't eat meat because it felt so hypocritical, I guess I've know for a couple of years that this is what I had to do, but doing it alluded me. I wish I knew more back then, but well, you can only work with what you know, and once you know better, you do better. You can't "unknow" something once you know it, and knowing what I know now, there is just no way in the world that I could ever knowingly eat or consume another animal product as long as I live.
I discovered an interesting site this morning, via facebook actually. It's great having "friended" many of the vegan freaks as it can help lead me to more interesting information and I'm definitely still in the "devouring all the information I can get my hands on" stage at present. I definitely want to do more eventually in terms of fighting for animal rights, but just don't feel worthy yet as I feel there is still so much to learn. What I didn't realise when I first decided to go vegan, was that going vegan is really only the first step and there is so much more to do. Anyway, the site is here and I am quite keen to check out the place in real life when we move to Melbourne and volunteer there and all.
I know it's only been (not quite) 3 months, but I honestly can't imagine life any other way. I really do feel like I'm finally doing what I always should have done. Having decided to stop calling myself a vegetarian a while back even though I didn't eat meat because it felt so hypocritical, I guess I've know for a couple of years that this is what I had to do, but doing it alluded me. I wish I knew more back then, but well, you can only work with what you know, and once you know better, you do better. You can't "unknow" something once you know it, and knowing what I know now, there is just no way in the world that I could ever knowingly eat or consume another animal product as long as I live.
Sunday, 13 July 2008
Club Med
The last week was another challenge in my vegan journey. Not like seriously challenging or anything but it was certainly the kind of environment where in the past I would have said, "oh it's just too hard" and probably sacrificed my ethics and eaten products of cruelty. I really tried to plan a holiday that would me lots of fun for all 3 of us, which didn't exactly go to plan, but anyway that's not the topic at hand so I'll leave it at that.
I went relatively prepared, especially for the travelling part as I knew we'd be spending many hours in airports on the way there and back. I had 3 large Tupperware containers in my backpack (such that not much else fit but that was okay - still fit the iPod and that's the main thing). One was full of dried apples and apricots. Another was full of cashews, almonds, pine nuts and seeds and the third had rice crackers. I also took a block of organic vegan chocolate (mint!!) in case of emergency that I am happy to say lasted the trip as no such emergency arose. I just figured (rightly) that none of the desserts would be vegan and that I might feel as though I was missing something, but I really didn't. A couple of times I thought I'd have some when I got back to the room, but I never actually did.
One thing I didn't think about was that Club Med (it was a Club Med resort we stayed at) are French and that the French aren't exactly renowned for their vegan options. All meals were buffet style and really there were enough options that it wasn't a problem at all. They have various oils and sauces available as well as plain rice at all lunches and dinners and there were always plenty of vegetables too. Although it was a little weird to us that the vegetables were almost exclusively served up fridge cold, they were still tasty. So I ate a lot of rice with vegetables and soy sauce, which of course was fine, although I don't think I'll be cooking rice for at least a week or so now that we're home :) I was curious when one of the foods was labelled "French-style peas" only to discover that this apparently means cooked in butter and bacon... Ah, okay...
During the first breakfast I was a little concerned that I couldn't see any soy milk. There were other things to eat but I really wanted some cereal. There was hot and cold cows milk by the cereals and there were 2 separate locations for coffee and tea and each of them had cows milk too, but no soy milk. So I asked one of the chefs and he informed me that it was behind the juice. I was still a little confused at this point as I went to where I thought the juice was as there was orange and apple juice there and no soy milk. So I continued to look and then discovered there was some other juice in another location, there was also yoghurt there and fruit, and yes, the coveted soy milk, yay! Every other day was fine as I knew where to find it then.
I have always been a breakfast is the most important meal of the day kind of girl, so having several good options at breakfast was more important to me than having more options at the other 2 main meals. I managed to have toast with cooked tomatoes and then asked the bewildered omelette making chef if I could have some mushrooms to go with it. By day 3 though he knew me and just nodded politely as I took my mushrooms.
There were a couple of fleeting (very) moments of coveting pasta with cheese, but I thought of Bob and Jenna and all the Freaks on the forums to remind myself that as much as it can feel like it at times like that, I am not alone and to give in would not be worth it for sooooo many reasons. Not the least of which is that I would feel like utter crap about myself because I'm not just doing this for fun but because I so very, very strongly believe in it being the right thing to do. I thought about the poor calves being taken from their mothers and I knew there was only one thing I could do and that was to have some more rice with soy sauce and veggies, and garlic oil... I've never had garlic oil before but man it was good and just went really well with everything, with the rice and veggies, on a slice of bread for some vegan garlic bread, yummity, yum yum :) And once again, something that some might think is restrictive is actually broadening my palate as I am trying things that I wouldn't have even considered had I not been vegan.
I went relatively prepared, especially for the travelling part as I knew we'd be spending many hours in airports on the way there and back. I had 3 large Tupperware containers in my backpack (such that not much else fit but that was okay - still fit the iPod and that's the main thing). One was full of dried apples and apricots. Another was full of cashews, almonds, pine nuts and seeds and the third had rice crackers. I also took a block of organic vegan chocolate (mint!!) in case of emergency that I am happy to say lasted the trip as no such emergency arose. I just figured (rightly) that none of the desserts would be vegan and that I might feel as though I was missing something, but I really didn't. A couple of times I thought I'd have some when I got back to the room, but I never actually did.
One thing I didn't think about was that Club Med (it was a Club Med resort we stayed at) are French and that the French aren't exactly renowned for their vegan options. All meals were buffet style and really there were enough options that it wasn't a problem at all. They have various oils and sauces available as well as plain rice at all lunches and dinners and there were always plenty of vegetables too. Although it was a little weird to us that the vegetables were almost exclusively served up fridge cold, they were still tasty. So I ate a lot of rice with vegetables and soy sauce, which of course was fine, although I don't think I'll be cooking rice for at least a week or so now that we're home :) I was curious when one of the foods was labelled "French-style peas" only to discover that this apparently means cooked in butter and bacon... Ah, okay...
During the first breakfast I was a little concerned that I couldn't see any soy milk. There were other things to eat but I really wanted some cereal. There was hot and cold cows milk by the cereals and there were 2 separate locations for coffee and tea and each of them had cows milk too, but no soy milk. So I asked one of the chefs and he informed me that it was behind the juice. I was still a little confused at this point as I went to where I thought the juice was as there was orange and apple juice there and no soy milk. So I continued to look and then discovered there was some other juice in another location, there was also yoghurt there and fruit, and yes, the coveted soy milk, yay! Every other day was fine as I knew where to find it then.
I have always been a breakfast is the most important meal of the day kind of girl, so having several good options at breakfast was more important to me than having more options at the other 2 main meals. I managed to have toast with cooked tomatoes and then asked the bewildered omelette making chef if I could have some mushrooms to go with it. By day 3 though he knew me and just nodded politely as I took my mushrooms.
There were a couple of fleeting (very) moments of coveting pasta with cheese, but I thought of Bob and Jenna and all the Freaks on the forums to remind myself that as much as it can feel like it at times like that, I am not alone and to give in would not be worth it for sooooo many reasons. Not the least of which is that I would feel like utter crap about myself because I'm not just doing this for fun but because I so very, very strongly believe in it being the right thing to do. I thought about the poor calves being taken from their mothers and I knew there was only one thing I could do and that was to have some more rice with soy sauce and veggies, and garlic oil... I've never had garlic oil before but man it was good and just went really well with everything, with the rice and veggies, on a slice of bread for some vegan garlic bread, yummity, yum yum :) And once again, something that some might think is restrictive is actually broadening my palate as I am trying things that I wouldn't have even considered had I not been vegan.
Saturday, 28 June 2008
Cupcakes
If you're considering becoming vegan but are wondering about missing out on treats, you seriously have to pick yourself up a copy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. I've only made a couple of different ones so far as decent ingredients for anything too fancy are a bit hard to come by in this backwater, but MAN, they are delicious!! I've taken the vanilla cupcakes to work and they have been an absolute hit! One colleague has even asked for the recipe, so yay for that!! Seriously, go out and buy it now if you haven't already, okay?
I didn't want to be different...
I think that a lot of people who have known me for any length of time are under the impression that I like being different and that I choose to quite deliberately because I enjoy it. Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely proud of who I am and I like myself, but some days I wish as much as anyone to just be "normal" (whatever that means) and to fit in with everybody else. But the fact is I'm not, so at different times I have needed to seek out groups where I could at least feel normal for a short time.
Listening to many of Bob and Jenna's podcasts and reading from much more articulated and learned people than myself such as Gary Francione and Karen Davis, I see so many parallels between my "alternative" parenting style and my decision (finally!) to go vegan. So often the logic for eating animals or using them for other purposes is that they don't care, they don't know any better, even that they can't feel pain (???) For those that don't know, I've been what is commonly known as an "attachment parent" with my son. He was breastfed until he was 4, we *never* allowed him to cry alone without comfort and he has never and he will never be hit by either of his parents. A friend of mine used to have in her signature on our parenting board something along the lines of "attachment parenting - the bizarre concept that children are people too".... When people talk about leaving their baby to cry so they can "learn to sleep" I honestly wonder how they can possibly justify it. Just because your baby is unable to say, "Hey Mum, I'm scared and alone and when you leave me I don't know if you'll ever come back and I need you to hold me" then somehow it's okay to let him or her cry. After all they're only a baby, they don't understand, they won't remember...
I see this as so completely analogous to the way animals are treated in our society. If you don't have a voice, then stuff you, nobody cares what you feel. Bob often talks in the podcast about how when people use the justification that it's okay to eat and use animals because they are not as intelligent, etc, etc that we could use the same logic to justify eating babies. While obviously no sane adult really believes we would be justified in eating babies, similar logic is certainly used by people everywhere to treat babies as less than human in various ways.
When I had Mitchell, I knew that I could never leave him to cry alone. Because of the general consensus in "society" I thought that this would make me a bad parent and mean that he would never learn to sleep. Looking back I cannot believe how ridiculous this sounds, but there you go. Mitchell was cuddled or breastfed to sleep for 4 years, but you know what, he certainly knows how to sleep and mostly with no hassles whatsoever. And sometimes he still sleeps in my bed, and sometimes he doesn't (mostly not these days). When his Dad's away he tends to want the extra security of sleeping closer to me, but seriously, what's wrong with that? Why should it matter if you a 1 day old, 1 year old, 10 years old or an adult. If you feel that you need / want some company, some comfort, why shouldn't you be able to have that?
By the same token, why should a cow not be entitled to graze at will, entitled to keep her baby with her until it is naturally weaned and grown and ready to move on, and ultimately, why should she not be allowed to live out her natural life? So that we can drink milk that was never intended for the human body? How on earth can that be okay?
The same analogy goes for any animal on this planet. Why should a chicken not be allowed to roam and peck at food when they are hungry? Why should a male chick have to be ground up at birth because he's no good to us all important humans? And if you believe that free range chickens are really any better off, then have a look at Karen's site here.
Looking back, I can't believe that I was so naive, and I completely believe that there are no excuses. I have no excuses and I am responsible for the decisions I made in the past to partake in the dairy and egg industries by eating their products. But organisations like PETA also have a lot to answer for. Reading their web site had me convinced that yes, veganism is ideal but free range eggs and dairy, etc was still okay... For an organisation that calls itself People for the ETHICAL Treatment of Animals, I'm not quite sure how they can justify their stance, but I guess that is just what comes with becoming such a large organisation and now ultimately being more about money than anything else. To *celebrate* that in Canada KFC are gassing chickens to death instead of electrocuting them, well, frankly it makes no sense to me whatsoever. I just don't get it, can anybody explain???
Well that's a bit more of the swirling thoughts in my head relating to my journey of discovering exactly what kind of vegan I am and want to be. I really do want to thank Bob and Jenna (not that I expect them to read this! maybe I'll leave a voicemail one of these days ;) ) for their forums, their podcast, and they're book that I'm still making my way through. No, I didn't want to be different, and I didn't want to be a "freak", but the Vegan Freaks have helped me to at the same time feel less freaky, and embrace my freakdom. I'm now proud to call myself a Vegan Freak, as, frankly, I'm in great company :)
Listening to many of Bob and Jenna's podcasts and reading from much more articulated and learned people than myself such as Gary Francione and Karen Davis, I see so many parallels between my "alternative" parenting style and my decision (finally!) to go vegan. So often the logic for eating animals or using them for other purposes is that they don't care, they don't know any better, even that they can't feel pain (???) For those that don't know, I've been what is commonly known as an "attachment parent" with my son. He was breastfed until he was 4, we *never* allowed him to cry alone without comfort and he has never and he will never be hit by either of his parents. A friend of mine used to have in her signature on our parenting board something along the lines of "attachment parenting - the bizarre concept that children are people too".... When people talk about leaving their baby to cry so they can "learn to sleep" I honestly wonder how they can possibly justify it. Just because your baby is unable to say, "Hey Mum, I'm scared and alone and when you leave me I don't know if you'll ever come back and I need you to hold me" then somehow it's okay to let him or her cry. After all they're only a baby, they don't understand, they won't remember...
I see this as so completely analogous to the way animals are treated in our society. If you don't have a voice, then stuff you, nobody cares what you feel. Bob often talks in the podcast about how when people use the justification that it's okay to eat and use animals because they are not as intelligent, etc, etc that we could use the same logic to justify eating babies. While obviously no sane adult really believes we would be justified in eating babies, similar logic is certainly used by people everywhere to treat babies as less than human in various ways.
When I had Mitchell, I knew that I could never leave him to cry alone. Because of the general consensus in "society" I thought that this would make me a bad parent and mean that he would never learn to sleep. Looking back I cannot believe how ridiculous this sounds, but there you go. Mitchell was cuddled or breastfed to sleep for 4 years, but you know what, he certainly knows how to sleep and mostly with no hassles whatsoever. And sometimes he still sleeps in my bed, and sometimes he doesn't (mostly not these days). When his Dad's away he tends to want the extra security of sleeping closer to me, but seriously, what's wrong with that? Why should it matter if you a 1 day old, 1 year old, 10 years old or an adult. If you feel that you need / want some company, some comfort, why shouldn't you be able to have that?
By the same token, why should a cow not be entitled to graze at will, entitled to keep her baby with her until it is naturally weaned and grown and ready to move on, and ultimately, why should she not be allowed to live out her natural life? So that we can drink milk that was never intended for the human body? How on earth can that be okay?
The same analogy goes for any animal on this planet. Why should a chicken not be allowed to roam and peck at food when they are hungry? Why should a male chick have to be ground up at birth because he's no good to us all important humans? And if you believe that free range chickens are really any better off, then have a look at Karen's site here.
Looking back, I can't believe that I was so naive, and I completely believe that there are no excuses. I have no excuses and I am responsible for the decisions I made in the past to partake in the dairy and egg industries by eating their products. But organisations like PETA also have a lot to answer for. Reading their web site had me convinced that yes, veganism is ideal but free range eggs and dairy, etc was still okay... For an organisation that calls itself People for the ETHICAL Treatment of Animals, I'm not quite sure how they can justify their stance, but I guess that is just what comes with becoming such a large organisation and now ultimately being more about money than anything else. To *celebrate* that in Canada KFC are gassing chickens to death instead of electrocuting them, well, frankly it makes no sense to me whatsoever. I just don't get it, can anybody explain???
Well that's a bit more of the swirling thoughts in my head relating to my journey of discovering exactly what kind of vegan I am and want to be. I really do want to thank Bob and Jenna (not that I expect them to read this! maybe I'll leave a voicemail one of these days ;) ) for their forums, their podcast, and they're book that I'm still making my way through. No, I didn't want to be different, and I didn't want to be a "freak", but the Vegan Freaks have helped me to at the same time feel less freaky, and embrace my freakdom. I'm now proud to call myself a Vegan Freak, as, frankly, I'm in great company :)
Saturday, 21 June 2008
Melbourne
So exciting!! 175 sleeps until we drive out of here :) I did a bit of a google today and found a great vegan social group and it looks like they get together fairly regularly. So I'll actually be able to talk to other vegans in real life and not just have these "friends" in my iPod :) Looks very cool.
weird
It's weird that now that I've got myself totally to the point where I just don't look at any animal products as food any more. And then I go to the supermarket and see people buying meat and other products and just get taken aback and have to remind myself that yes, that's actually what most people do. I know that Jenna has mentioned on the Vegan Freak podcasts that when she became vegan meat looked a lot more gross to her than when she was vegetarian and the first time I heard her say that I thought it seemed a bit funny. But I am beginning to feel the same way. Although I have always felt that meat was pretty gross and not exactly tempting, it's just now on a whole other level of repulsiveness and just the thought that anybody would even contemplate eating it just doesn't make any sense to me any more.
Also listened to a great podcast today about no-kill shelters and the myth of animal population. It's just amazing me so much how PETA is so much the "voice" out there for "animal rights" and I used to go there for ideas and advice, but when it comes to so many things they do, it just doesn't make any sense...
Also listened to a great podcast today about no-kill shelters and the myth of animal population. It's just amazing me so much how PETA is so much the "voice" out there for "animal rights" and I used to go there for ideas and advice, but when it comes to so many things they do, it just doesn't make any sense...
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